On behalf of the
Registrant and pursuant to Rule 497 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, attached for filing are exhibits containing interactive data format risk/return summary information that mirrors the risk/return summary information in the 497 filing,
dated July 1, 2013 to the prospectuses for the funds listed in Appendix A. The purpose of this filing is to submit the 497 dated July 1, 2013 in XBRL.

If you have any questions regarding this filing, please contact Benjamin Haskin of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP at (202) 303-1124 or me at (415) 670-7987.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Edward Baer

Edward Baer

cc: Benjamin Haskin, Esq.

Appendix A

iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF

iShares MSCI Australia Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI
Canada Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI China ETF

iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI Denmark Capped ETF

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Latin America ETF

iShares MSCI Finland Capped ETF

iShares MSCI
Germany Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI Hong Kong Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI India ETF

iShares MSCI India Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF

iShares MSCI Ireland
Capped ETF

iShares MSCI New Zealand Capped ETF

iShares MSCI Norway Capped ETF

iShares MSCI Philippines ETF

iShares MSCI Poland Capped ETF

iShares MSCI
Singapore Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI South Korea Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI Taiwan Small-Cap ETF

iShares MSCI United Kingdom Small-Cap ETF

EX-101.INS
2
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ndInvestableMarketIndexMember2012-01-022013-01-010001100663ist1:S000028553Memberrr:AfterTaxesOnDistributionsMemberist1:C000087423Member2012-01-022013-01-010001100663ist1:S000028553Memberrr:AfterTaxesOnDistributionsAndSalesMemberist1:C000087423Member2012-01-022013-01-010001100663ist1:S000028553Memberist1:MsciIndonesiaInvestableMarketIndexMember2012-01-022013-01-01pureiso4217:USDOther<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIGermanySmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>2012-08-31iSHARES TRUST0001100663false2013-07-012013-07-012013-07-01<b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI Germany Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Germany Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses</b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. <br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example. </b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI AUSTRALIA SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWAS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: BATS<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 25, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of the German securities market. Components primarily include financial, industrials, and information technology companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.<br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.<br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.<br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class.<br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.<br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.<br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.<br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders.<br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.<br /><br /><b>Information Technology Sector Risk.</b> Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights.<br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.<br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.<br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.<br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.<br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a German issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.<br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Germany.</b> The Fund&#8217;s investment in German issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risk specific to Germany. The German economy, along with certain other European Union (the &#8220;EU&#8221;) economies, experienced a significant slowdown during the recent financial crisis. Germany has an export dependent economy and therefore relies heavily on trade with key trading partners, including the United States, France, Italy and other European countries. Germany is dependent on the economies of these other countries and any change in the price or demand for German exports may have an adverse impact on its economy.<br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.<br /><br /><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.<br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability.<br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.<br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Performance Information </b>As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI Australia Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Australia Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221; ).<b>Fees and Expenses</b>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/> You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers.As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example. </b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI GERMANY SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWGS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: BATS60189329738<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 25, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio.60189329738The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies, whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of the Australian securities market. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, financial, industrials and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/>BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br/><br/>Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br/><br/>BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br/><br/>The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br/><br/><b>Industry Concentration Policy. </b>The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIGermanySmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.<br/><br/><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Commodity Exposure Risk. </b>The Fund invests in Australia, which is susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the Australian economy.<br/><br/><b>Concentration Risk. </b>To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class.<br/><br/><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. </b>The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns.<br/><br/><b>Currency Risk. </b>Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.<br/><br/><b>Equity Securities Risk. </b>Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.<br/><br/><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region.<br/><br/><b>Index-Related Risk. </b>There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders.<br/><br/><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.<br/><br/><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.<br/><br/><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.<br/><br/><b>Market Risk. </b>The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.<br/><br/><b>Market Trading Risk. </b>The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.<br/><br/><b>Materials Sector Risk. </b>Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors.<br/><br/><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<br/><br/><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting an Australian issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Australasian Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.<br/><br/><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>, <b>Australasian Economic Risk</b>, <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in Australia. </b>Investments in Australian issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risk specific to Australia. The Australian economy is heavily dependent on exports from the agricultural and mining sectors. This makes the Australian economy susceptible to fluctuations in the commodity markets. Australia is also dependent on trading with key trading partners.<br/><br/><b>Securities Lending Risk. </b>The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.<br/><br/><b>Tracking Error Risk. </b>Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.<br/><br/><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Performance Information</b>As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy. </b>The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIAustraliaSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIAustraliaSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCISouthKoreaSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCITaiwanSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIUnitedKingdomSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>195340762<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIAllPeruCappedETF column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposediSharesMSCIAllPeruCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI CANADA SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWCS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: BATS<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example. </b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Performance Information</b>The iShares MSCI Canada Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Canada Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIHongKongSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>60<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>189329738<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Performance Information</b><b>Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)</b><b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b>The iShares MSCI All Peru Capped ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI All Peru Capped Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 25, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 18% of the average value of its portfolio.The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI Hong Kong Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Hong Kong Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies, whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of the Canadian securities market. Components primarily include energy, financial and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/>BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br/><br/>Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br/><br/>BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br/><br/>The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br/><br/><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Fees and Expenses </b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/> (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/> percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example.</b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 10, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 9% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies, whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of the Hong Kong securities market. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, financial and information technology companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/> BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br/><br/> Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br/><br/> BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br/><br/> The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.<br/><br/> The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br/><br/> The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br/><br/><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.<br/><br/><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class.<br/><br/><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns.<br/><br/><b> Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.<br/><br/><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.<br/><br/><b> Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region.<br/><br/><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders.<br/><br/><b> Information Technology Sector Risk.</b> Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights.<br/><br/><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.<br/><br/><b>Lack of Natural Resources Risk.</b> The Fund invests in Hong Kong, which has few natural resources. Any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the Hong Kong economy.<br/><br/><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.<br/><br/><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.<br/><br/><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.<br/><br/><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<br/><br/><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Hong Kong issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>. <br/><br/><b> Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.<br/><br/><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk, European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br/><br/><b> Risk of Investing in Hong Kong.</b> Investments in Hong Kong issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risk specific to Hong Kong. China is Hong Kong&#8217;s largest trading partner, both in terms of exports and imports. Any changes in the Chinese economy, trade regulations or currency exchange rates, or a tightening of China&#8217;s control over Hong Kong, may have an adverse impact on Hong Kong&#8217;s economy.<br/><br/><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.<br/><br/><b> Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.<br/><br/><b> Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.<br/><br/><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Performance Information</b>As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index designed to measure the performance of Peruvian equity securities as well as securities of companies that are headquartered in Peru and have the majority of their operations based in Peru. Components primarily include consumer staples, financial, industrials and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b> Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.60189329738As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.<br/><br/><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Commodity Exposure Risk. </b>The Fund invests in Canada, which is susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the Canadian economy.<br/><br/><b>Concentration Risk. </b>To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class.<br/><br/><b>Currency Risk. </b>Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.<br/><br/><b>Energy Sector Risk.</b> The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, without limitation, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts and potential civil liabilities.<br/><br/><b>Equity Securities Risk. </b>Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Financial Sector Risk. </b>Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.<br/><br/><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders.<br/><br/><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.<br/><br/><b>Management Risk. </b>As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.<br/><br/><b>Market Risk. </b>The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.<br/><br/><b>Market Trading Risk. </b>The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.<br/><br/><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors.<br/><br/><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk. </b>Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Canadian issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>North American Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.<br/><br/><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. </b>The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk,</b> <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>North American Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in Canada. </b>Investments in Canadian issuers may subject the Fund to economic risk specific to Canada. Among other things, the Canadian economy is heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners, including the United States, European Union (the &#8220;EU&#8221;) countries and China.<br/><br/><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. </b>Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.<br/><br/><b>Tracking Error Risk. </b>Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.<br/><br/><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy. </b>The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Commodity Exposure Risk.</b> The Fund invests in Peru, which is susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the Peruvian economy. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /> <b>Consumer Staples Sector Risk.</b> The consumer staples sector may be affected by marketing campaigns, changes in consumer demands, government regulations and changes in commodity prices. <br /><br /> <b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /> <b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /> <b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /> <b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /> <b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /> <b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /> <b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /> <b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /> <b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /> <b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short- term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /> <b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /> <b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /> <b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /> <b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /> <b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Peruvian issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Central and South American Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /> <b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /> <b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>, <b>Central and South American Economic Risk</b>, <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /> <b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /> <b>Risk of Investing in Peru.</b> Investment in Peruvian issuers involves risks that are specific to Peru, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. <br /><br /> <b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /> <b>Securities Market Risk.</b> Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. <br /><br /> <b>Security Risk.</b> The geographic area in which the Fund invests has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in Peruvian markets and may adversely affect their economies and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /> <b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /> <b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /> <b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. DUE TO THE RELATIVE ILLIQUIDITY OF THE PERUVIAN SECURITIES MARKET AND OTHER FACTORS PARTICULAR TO PERU, INCLUDING TAX LAW MATTERS DESCRIBED IN THE TAXES ON DISTRIBUTIONS SECTION OF THIS PROSPECTUS, BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND WILL EXPERIENCE TRACKING ERROR THAT IS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /> <b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCICanadaSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIHongKongSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCICanadaSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;). If BFA had not waived certain Fund fees during certain periods, the Fund's returns would have been lower.The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 27.24% in the 3rd quarter of 2010; the worst was -14.93% in the 2nd quarter of 2011. <br /><br />Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI ALL PERU CAPPED ETF<br/>Ticker: EPU&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE ArcaAs of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)www.iShares.comPast performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI HONG KONG SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWHS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE ArcaAfter-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30best2010-09-30worst2011-06-30622009-06-19iSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI SOUTH KOREA SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWYS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbspStock Exchange: NYSE ArcaiSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI TAIWAN SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWTS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbspStock Exchange: NYSE ArcaiSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI UNITED KINGDOM SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWUS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbspStock Exchange: BATS<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Investment Objective</b><b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI South Korea Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Korea Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The iShares MSCI Taiwan Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Taiwan Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The iShares MSCI United Kingdom Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI United Kingdom Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:76You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:76You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:60237<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b>237<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b>189You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Example. </b><b>Example. </b>329<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b>738This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Example. </b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance.<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 25, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 12% of the average value of its portfolio.The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of the South Korean securities market. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, industrials, information technology and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of the companies in the Taiwanese securities market. Components primarily include industrials, information technology and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of the British securities market. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, financial and industrials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Information Technology Sector Risk.</b> Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Lack of Natural Resources Risk.</b> The Fund invests in South Korea, which has few natural resources. Any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the South Korean economy. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a South Korean issuer or market, including as a result of heightened tensions between North and South Korea. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in South Korea.</b> Investments in South Korean issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks that are specific to South Korea. In addition, economic and political developments of South Korean neighbors may have an adverse effect on the South Korean economy. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Information Technology Sector Risk.</b> Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Lack of Natural Resources Risk.</b> The Fund invests in Taiwan, which has few natural resources. Any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the Taiwanese economy. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Taiwanese issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Taiwan.</b> Investment in Taiwanese issuers involves risks that are specific to Taiwan, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Security Risk.</b> The geographic area in which the Fund invests has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in Taiwanese markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a British issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in the United Kingdom.</b> Investments in British issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risk specific to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has one of the largest economies in Europe, and the United States and other European countries are substantial trading partners of the United Kingdom. As a result, the British economy may be impacted by changes to the economic health of the United States and other European countries. The British economy, along with certain other European Union (&#8220;EU&#8221;) economies, experienced a significant economic slowdown during the recent financial crisis; certain British financial institutions were severely under-capitalized and required government intervention to survive. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Security Risk.</b> Some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in these markets and may adversely affect their economies and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> Continued governmental involvement in certain sectors may stifle competition in certain sectors or cause adverse effects on economic growth. Northern Ireland's economy may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI CHINA SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: ECNS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example. </b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Performance Information</b>The iShares MSCI China Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI China Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. <br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:62195340762The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 33% of the average value of its portfolio.The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities in the bottom 14% by market capitalization of the Chinese equity securities markets, as represented by the H-Shares (i.e., securities of companies incorporated in the People&#8217;s Republic of China (&#8220;PRC&#8221;) that are denominated in Hong Kong dollars and listed on the Hong Kong Exchange) and B-Shares (i.e., securities of companies incorporated in the PRC and listed for foreign investment on stock exchanges in the PRC) markets. The Underlying Index also includes certain Hong Kong listed securities known as Red-Chips (issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by entities owned by the national government or local governments in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC) and P-Chips (issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by individuals in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC). As of June 30, 2012, approximately 11.79% of the Underlying Index was invested in H-Shares, 19.03% in Red-Chips, 57.75% in P-Chips and 11.43% in B-Shares. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, financial and industrials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/>BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br/><br/>Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br/><br/>BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br/><br/>The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br/><br/><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Performance Information</b><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<b>Performance Information</b><b>Performance Information</b>As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsiSharesMSCIAllPeruCappedETFBarChart column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIAllPeruCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCISingaporeSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div><b>Example.</b>Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.<br/><br/><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Concentration Risk. </b>To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class.<br/><br/><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns.<br/><br/><b>Currency Risk. </b>Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.<br/><br/><b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.<br/><br/><b>Equity Securities Risk. </b>Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Financial Sector Risk. </b>Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Chinese financial sector regulation and ownership may be more intrusive than in the United States and other developed countries, especially with respect to the regulation of non-Chinese banks and other non-Chinese financial companies. Greater Chinese governmental involvement in the financial sector may pose additional risks for investors. Market conditions in China may be particularly subject to change based on government policy. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.<br/><br/><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region.<br/><br/><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders.<br/><br/><b>Industrials Sector Risk. </b>The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.<br/><br/><b>Issuer Risk. </b>Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.<br/><br/><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.<br/><br/><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.<br/><br/><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.<br/><br/><b>Non-Diversification Risk. </b>The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<br/><br/><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments that track the value of Chinese issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in China, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Chinese issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.<br/><br/><b>Privatization Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests has privatized, or has begun a process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.<br/><br/><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. </b>The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>, <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in China. </b>The Fund's investment exposure to China subjects the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. China is a developing market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the past 25 years, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and expansion of the sphere for private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Internal social unrest or confrontations with other neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China's rapid economic growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers, or a downturn in any of the economies of China's key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. </b>The Fund's investments in China may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities.<br/><br/><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Security Risk. </b>China has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving China's security may cause uncertainty in Chinese markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments.<br/><br/><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. </b>Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.<br/><br/><b>Tracking Error Risk. </b>Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not.<br/><br/><b>Valuation Risk. </b>The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).<b>Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)</b>The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 3.10% in the 4th quarter of 2011; the worst was -32.44% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.<br/><br/>Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b>2010-09-28<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIEmergingMarketsLatinAmericaETF column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIFinlandCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30best2011-12-31worst2011-09-30iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI SINGAPORE SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: EWSS &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca<b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI Singapore Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Singapore Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses </b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. <br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/> (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/> percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example.</b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 10, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 4% of the average value of its portfolio.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Summary of Principal Risks </b><b>Principal Investment Strategies </b>The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of companies in the Singaporean securities market. Components primarily include consumer staples, financial, industrials and information technology companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/>BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br/><br/>Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br/><br/>BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br/><br/>The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br/><br/><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Staples Sector Risk.</b> The consumer staples sector may be affected by marketing campaigns, changes in consumer demands, government regulations and changes in commodity prices. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Information Technology Sector Risk.</b> Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Lack of Natural Resources Risk.</b> The Fund invests in Singapore, which has few natural resources. Any fluctuation or shortage in the commodity markets could have a negative impact on the Singaporean economy. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Singaporean issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Singapore.</b> Investments in Singaporean issuers involve risks that are specific to Singapore, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. In addition, because Singapore&#8217;s economy is export-driven, Singapore relies heavily on its trading partners. Political and economic developments of Singapore's neighbors may have an adverse effect on Singapore's economy. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Performance Information</b>As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<b>Industry Concentration Policy. </b>The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk. </b>The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.www.iShares.com1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)60189329738After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCISingaporeSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
195340762<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposediSharesMSCIBrazilSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>iSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI BRAZIL SMALL-CAP ETF <br/>Ticker: EWZS&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIChinaSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIChinaSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Example.</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposediSharesMSCIChinaSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Performance Information</b><b>Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)</b><b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b>The iShares MSCI Brazil Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Brazil Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 67% of the average value of its portfolio.The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities in the bottom 14% by market capitalization of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in Brazil. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, financial and industrials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.iSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI EMERGING MARKETS LATIN AMERICA ETF<br/>Ticker: EEML&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NASDAQAs with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /> <b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /> <b>Commodity Exposure Risk.</b> The Fund invests in Brazil, which is susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the Brazilian economy. <br /><br /> <b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /> <b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns. <br /><br /> <b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /> <b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /> <b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /> <b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /> <b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /> <b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /> <b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /> <b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /> <b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /> <b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /> <b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /> <b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /> <b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Brazilian issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Central and South American Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /> <b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /> <b>Privatization Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests has privatized, or has begun a process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized. <br /><br /> <b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>, <b>Central and South American Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /> <b>Risk of Investing in Brazil.</b> Investment in Brazilian issuers involves risks that are specific to Brazil, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. The Brazilian economy has historically been exposed to high rates of inflation and a high level of debt, each of which may prohibit economic growth. <br /><br /> <b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /> <b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /> <b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /> <b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /> <b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /> <b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.iSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI FINLAND CAPPED ETF<br/>Ticker: EFNL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: BATS<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Latin America ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Emerging Markets Latin America Index (the &#8220; Underlying Index&#8221;).The iShares MSCI Finland Capped ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Finland IMI 25/50 Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses. &#8220;Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses&#8221; reflect the Fund's pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. The impact of Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses is included in the total returns of the Fund. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;). BFA, the investment adviser to the Fund, has contractually agreed to waive its management fees in an amount equal to Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses attributable to the Fund's investments in other iShares funds through December 31, 2014. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2014 only upon written agreement of the Trust and BFA. Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year. BFA has contractually agreed to waive any additional portion of its management fees in order to limit Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.49% of average daily net assets until December 31, 2014. The contractual waiver may be terminated prior to December 31, 2014 only upon written agreement of the Trust and BFA.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:December 31, 2014You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are based on estimated amounts for the current fiscal year.54<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example. </b><b>Example. </b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsiSharesMSCIChinaSmall-CapETFBarChart column period compact * ~</div>
170This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:296<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>665The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 25, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 11% of the average value of its portfolio.The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 5.20% in the 4th quarter of 2011; the worst was -27.88% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.<br/><br/>Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 18, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 3% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>The Underlying Index is a custom index designed to measure broad-based equity market performance in Finland. A capping methodology is applied that limits the weight of any single component to a maximum of 25% of the Underlying Index. Additionally, the sum of components that individually constitute more than 5% of the weight of the Underlying Index cannot exceed a maximum of 50% of the weight of the Underlying Index in the aggregate. The Underlying Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Finnish stock exchange. Components primarily include financial, industrials and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.The Underlying Index is designed to measure the equity market performance of emerging markets in Latin America. As of June 30, 2012, the Underlying Index consisted of issuers in the following five emerging market countries: Brazil, Chil&#233;, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Components primarily include consumer staples, financial and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Finnish issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Finland.</b> Investments in Finnish issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks specific to Finland. The Finnish economy, along with certain other European Union (the &#8220;EU&#8221;) economies, experienced a significant economic slowdown during the recent financial crisis. Finland&#8217;s economy, among other things, depends on imported raw materials, energy and components for its manufactured products. As a result, Finland is dependent on trading relationships with certain key trading partners, including Russia, China and the United States. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Commodity Exposure Risk.</b> The Fund invests in economies that are susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have an adverse impact on those economies. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Staples Sector Risk.</b> The consumer staples sector may be affected by marketing campaigns, changes in consumer demands, government regulations and changes in commodity prices. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a non-U.S. issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Latin American Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Privatization Risk.</b> Some countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in countries whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk, European Economic Risk, Latin American Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Brazil.</b> Investment in Brazilian issuers involves risks that are specific to Brazil, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. The Brazilian economy has historically been exposed to high rates of inflation and a high level of debt, each of which may prohibit economic growth. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Mexico.</b> Investments in Mexican issuers involve risks that are specific to Mexico, including legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risks. In the past, Mexico has experienced high interest rates, economic volatility and high unemployment rates. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Security Risk.</b> Some countries and regions in which the Fund invests have experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in these markets and may adversely affect their economies and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Performance Information</b><b>Performance Information</b>As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI INDIA SMALL-CAP ETF<br/>Ticker: SMIN&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: BATSAs of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Investment Objective </b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.The iShares MSCI India Small-Cap ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI India Small Cap Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses</b>Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are not used to calculate the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;) and are not included in the calculation of the ratio of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).50178The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:340iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI IRELAND CAPPED ETF<br/>Ticker: EIRL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca810<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI Indonesia ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Indonesia Investable Market Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b>The iShares MSCI Ireland Capped ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Ireland Investable Market 25/50 Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI INDIA ETF<br/>Ticker: INDA&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: BATS<b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI India ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI India Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Example.</b><b>Example.</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b>1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:www.iShares.comAfter-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.62<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b>Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).195Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.340<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses</b><br/><b>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a</b><br/><b>percentage of the value of your investments)</b>7627662237<b>Example.</b>411This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:91868214<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>373835The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, February 8, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 6% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, February 2, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 4% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the top 85% of companies in the Indian securities market. Components primarily include energy, financial and information technology companies. The component companies include mid-capitalization companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/>The Fund will carry out its investment strategies by investing substantially all of its assets through a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Republic of Mauritius (the &#8220;Subsidiary&#8221;). The remaining assets will be invested directly by the Fund. The Subsidiary and the Fund will collectively invest at least 80% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets in securities that comprise the Underlying Index and depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. BFA will serve as investment adviser to both the Fund and the Subsidiary. Unless otherwise indicated, the term &#8220;Fund&#8221; as used in this prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;) means the Fund and/or the Subsidiary, as applicable.<br/><br/>The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index and in other investments, including future contracts, options on futures contracts, options and swaps related to the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates.<br/><br/>BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br/><br/>Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br/><br/>BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br/><br/>The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br/><br/><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30best2011-12-31worst2011-09-30As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.<br/><br/><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in India, or in a particular region, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting India, or that region, market, industry or asset class.<br/><br/><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.<br/><br/><b>Custody Risk.</b> The Indian securities market is less developed and is more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories&#8201;than more developed securities markets.<br/><br/><b>Energy Sector Risk.</b> The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, without limitation, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts and potential civil liabilities.<br/><br/><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.<br/><br/><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in India and Mauritius, which could affect the Indian economy or operations of the Subsidiary, causing an adverse impact on the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders.<br/><br/><b>Information Technology Sector Risk.</b> Information technology companies face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights.<br/><br/><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.<br/><br/><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.<br/><br/><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.<br/><br/><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.<br/><br/><b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.<br/><br/><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<br/><br/><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a non-U.S. issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.<br/><br/><b>Privatization Risk.</b> India has privatized or has begun a process of privatizing certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.<br/><br/><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in India, which is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in India may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in India.</b> Investments in Indian issuers involves risks that are specific to India, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. The securities markets in India are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the Fund to higher transaction costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets.<br/><br/><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Security Risk.</b> India has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving India's security may cause uncertainty in Indian markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments.<br/><br/><b>Structural Risk.</b> India may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability.<br/><br/><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS.<br/><br/><b>Treaty/Tax Risk.</b> The Fund and the Subsidiary rely on the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement between India and Mauritius (&#8220;DTAA&#8221;) for relief from certain Indian taxes. Treaty renegotiation (particularly to introduce a limitation of benefit clause) or recent legislative changes may result in the Fund withdrawing from the Subsidiary, which may result in higher taxes and/or lower returns for the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Performance Information</b>As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCISouthKoreaSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
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<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCINorwayCappedETF column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCINewZealandCappedETF column period compact * ~</div><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposediSharesMSCINewZealandCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI PHILIPPINES ETF<br/>Ticker: EPHE&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca<b>Investment Objective</b>2010-09-28The iShares MSCI Philippines ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Philippines Investable Market Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Example.</b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:54170296You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b>665<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.The Underlying Index is designed to measure the performance of equity securities of small-capitalization companies whose market capitalization, as calculated by the index provider, represents the bottom 14% of companies in the Indian securities market. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, financial and industrials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/>The Fund will carry out its investment strategies by investing substantially all of its assets through a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Republic of Mauritius (the &#8220;Subsidiary&#8221;). The remaining assets will be invested directly by the Fund. The Subsidiary and the Fund will collectively invest at least 80% of the Fund&#8217;s total assets in securities that comprise the Underlying Index and depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. BFA will serve as investment adviser to both the Fund and the Subsidiary. Unless otherwise indicated, the term &#8220;Fund,&#8221; as used in this prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), means the Fund and/or the Subsidiary, as applicable.<br/><br/>The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index and in other investments, including future contracts, options on futures contracts, options and swaps related to the Underlying Index, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates.<br/><br/>BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br/><br/>Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br/><br/>BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br/><br/>The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br/><br/>The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br/><br/><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Example.</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>62195The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 21% of the average value of its portfolio.340762<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 25% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIBrazilSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in Ireland. Components primarily include consumer staples, industrials and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br/><br/>BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of the Philippine equity markets. Components primarily include financial, industrials and utilities companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIIndiaETF column period compact * ~</div>
<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIIndiaETF column period compact * ~</div>
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<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIBrazilSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Philippine issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>, <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in the Philippines.</b> Investments in Philippine issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risk specific to the Philippines. Among other things, the Philippine economy is heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners, including China, Japan and the United States. As a result, continued growth of the Philippine economy is dependent on the growth of these economies. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Security Risk.</b> The geographic area in which the Fund invests has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in Philippine markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /><b>Utilities Sector Risk.</b> The utilities sector is subject to significant government regulation and oversight. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected due to increases in fuel and operating costs, rising costs of financing capital construction and the cost of complying with regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective.<br/><br/><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in India, or in a particular region, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting India, or that region, market, industry or asset class.<br/><br/><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns.<br/><br/><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar.<br/><br/><b>Custody Risk.</b> The Indian securities market is less developed and is more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories&#8201;than more developed securities markets.<br/><br/><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes.<br/><br/><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted.<br/><br/><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in India and Mauritius, which could affect the Indian economy or operations of the Subsidiary, causing an adverse impact on the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders.<br/><br/><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors.<br/><br/><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.<br/><br/><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results.<br/><br/><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns.<br/><br/><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.<br/><br/><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<br/><br/><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a non-U.S. issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>.<br/><br/><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.<br/><br/><b>Privatization Risk.</b> India has privatized, or has begun a process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.<br/><br/><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in India, which is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in India may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities.<br/><br/><b>Risk of Investing in India.</b> Investments in Indian issuers involves risks that are specific to India, including legal, regulatory, political and economic risks. The securities markets in India are relatively underdeveloped and may subject the Fund to higher transaction costs or greater uncertainty than investments in more developed securities markets.<br/><br/><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Security Risk.</b> India has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving India's security may cause uncertainty in Indian markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments.<br/><br/><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid.<br/><br/><b>Structural Risk.</b> India may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability.<br/><br/><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS.<br/><br/><b>Treaty/Tax Risk.</b> The Fund and the Subsidiary rely on the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement between India and Mauritius (&#8220;DTAA&#8221;) for relief from certain Indian taxes. Treaty renegotiation (particularly to introduce a limitation of benefit clause) or recent legislative changes may result in the Fund withdrawing from the Subsidiary, which may result in higher taxes and/or lower returns for the Fund.<br/><br/><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Performance Information</b><b>Performance Information</b>The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI DENMARK CAPPED ETF<br/>Ticker: EDEN&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: BATS<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example. </b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)</b><b>Summary of Principal Risks</b><b>Performance Information</b>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:The iShares MSCI Denmark Capped ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Denmark IMI 25/50 Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 6.49% in the 4th quarter of 2011; the worst was -7.84% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.<br/><br/>Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/> You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)www.iShares.com<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.best2011-12-31This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:worst2011-09-30As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Staples Sector Risk.</b> The consumer staples sector may be affected by marketing campaigns, changes in consumer demands, government regulations and changes in commodity prices. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk. </b>There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br/><br/><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting an Irish issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Ireland.</b> Investments in Irish issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risk specific to Ireland. Among other things, Ireland&#8217;s economy is heavily dependent on exports to certain key trading partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom and other Western European countries. During the recent financial crisis, Ireland&#8217;s financial institutions were severely under-capitalized and required government intervention to survive. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk. </b>The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> Continued governmental involvement in certain sectors may stifle competition in certain sectors or cause adverse effects on economic growth. Northern Ireland's economy may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.54170296As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.665<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIIndiaSmallCapETF column period compact * ~</div>
<b>Performance Information</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIIndiaSmall-CapETF column period compact * ~</div>
The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 25, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 12% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)</b>2010-09-28The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCINewZealandCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCINorwayCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>
After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Healthcare Sector Risk.</b> The healthcare sector may be affected by government regulations and government healthcare programs, increases or decreases in the cost of medical products and services and product liability claims, among other factors. Many healthcare companies are heavily dependent on patent protection and the expiration of a patent may adversely affect their profitability. Healthcare companies are subject to competitive forces that may result in price discounting, and may be thinly capitalized and susceptible to product obsolescence. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Danish issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Denmark.</b> Investments in Danish issuers subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks specific to Denmark. The Danish economy, along with certain other European Union (the &#8220;EU&#8221;) economies, experienced a significant economic slowdown during the recent financial crisis. Denmark&#8217;s economy has also been characterized by slow growth and is facing demographic challenges that could lead to labor supply shortages in the near future. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.iSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI NEW ZEALAND CAPPED ETF<br/>Ticker: ENZL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbspStock Exchange: NYSE ArcaiSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI NORWAY CAPPED ETF<br/>Ticker: ENOR&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbspStock Exchange: BATS<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI New Zealand Capped ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI New Zealand IMI 25/50 Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The iShares MSCI Norway Capped ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Norway IMI 25/50 Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example. </b><b>Example. </b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 12% of the average value of its portfolio.The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. From inception, January 23, 2012, to the most recent fiscal year end, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 7% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>best<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>The Underlying Index is an index designed to measure the performance of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in New Zealand. The Underlying Index is a free-float adjusted market capitalization weighted index with a capping methodology applied to issuer weights so that no single issuer of a component exceeds 25% of the Underlying Index weight and all issuers with weight above 5% do not exceed 50% of the Underlying Index weight. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, industrials, materials and telecommunications companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities of the Underlying Index and in depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.The Underlying Index is designed to measure broad-based equity market performance in Norway. A capping methodology is applied that limits the weight of any single component to a maximum of 25% of the Underlying Index. Additionally, the sum of components that individually constitute more than 5% of the weight of the Underlying Index cannot exceed a maximum of 50% of the weight of the Underlying Index in the aggregate. The Underlying Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Norwegian stock exchange. Components primarily include energy, financial, materials and telecommunication services companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>The Underlying Index is designed to measure broad-based equity market performance in Denmark. A capping methodology is applied that limits the weight of any single component to a maximum of 25% of the Underlying Index. Additionally, the sum of components that individually constitute more than 5% of the weight of the Underlying Index cannot exceed a maximum of 50% of the weight of the Underlying Index in the aggregate. The Underlying Index consists of stocks traded primarily on the Danish stock exchange. Components primarily include financial, healthcare and industrials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Commodity Exposure Risk.</b> The Fund invests in New Zealand, which is susceptible to fluctuations in certain commodity markets. Any negative changes in commodity markets could have an adverse impact on the New Zealand economy. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Industrials Sector Risk.</b> The industrials sector may be affected by changes in the supply and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and general economic conditions, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a New Zealand issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Australasian Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Privatization Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests has privatized, or has begun a process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>, <b>Australasian Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in New Zealand.</b> Investments in New Zealand issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, and economic risk specific to New Zealand. The New Zealand economy is heavily dependent on agricultural exports, and as a result, is susceptible to fluctuations in demand for agricultural products. New Zealand is also dependent on trade with key trading partners; a reduction in such trade may cause an adverse impact on its economy. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Telecommunications Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the telecommunications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation and obsolescence of telecommunications products and services due to technological advancement. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Energy Sector Risk.</b> The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, without limitation, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts and potential civil liabilities. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Norwegian issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>.<br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Norway.</b> Investments in Norwegian issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, and economic risks specific to Norway. Norway is a major producer of oil and gas, and Norway&#8217;s economy is subject to the risk of fluctuations in oil and gas prices. The high value of the Norwegian krone as compared to other currencies could have a damaging effect on Norwegian exports and investments. In recent years, labor costs in Norway have increased faster than those of its major trading partners, eroding industrial competitiveness. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Telecommunications Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the telecommunications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation and obsolescence of telecommunications products and services due to technological advancement. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.2011-12-31As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Performance Information</b>As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.<b>Performance Information</b>The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)worst2011-09-30www.iShares.comPast performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.<b>Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)</b>The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 10.24% in the 2nd quarter of 2011; the worst was -8.43% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.<br/><br/>Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30best2011-06-3054worst170<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIPhilippinesETF column period compact * ~</div>
2011-09-30You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:296665<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIPhilippinesETF column period compact * ~</div>
54170<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsiSharesMSCIPhilippinesETFBarChart column period compact * ~</div>
296The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 9.13% in the 4th quarter of 2011; the worst was -21.30% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.<br/><br/>Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAverageAnnualTotalReturnsTransposediSharesMSCIPhilippinesETF column period compact * ~</div>
Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.665On February 12, 2013, the Fund's Underlying Index changed from the MSCI New Zealand Investable Market Index to the current Underlying Index, the MSCI New Zealand IMI 25/50 Index. Since the inception date of the MSCI New Zealand IMI 25/50 Index is November 21, 2012, which occurred outside of the periods covered in the table above, index returns for the MSCI New Zealand IMI 25/50 Index are not shown.<b>Industry Concentration Policy. </b>The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.2010-09-011-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)As of the date of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;), the Fund has been in operation for less than one full calendar year and therefore does not report its performance information.www.iShares.comPast performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.195340762<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIDenmarkCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>
<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIChinaETF column period compact * ~</div><b>Average Annual Total Returns</b><br/><b>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleExpenseExampleTransposediSharesMSCIDenmarkCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>
iSHARES<sup>&#174;</sup> MSCI CHINA ETF <br/>Ticker: MCHI&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca<b>Investment Objective</b><b>Fees and Expenses</b><b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example.</b><div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualTotalReturnsiSharesMSCINewZealandCappedETFBarChart column period compact * ~</div>
<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b><b>Principal Investment Strategies</b><b>Performance Information</b>The iShares MSCI China ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI China Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/> You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Average Annual Total Returns</b><br/><b>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b>2010-05-05The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 8% of the average value of its portfolio.The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities in the top 85% in market capitalization of Chinese equity markets, as represented by the H-Shares (i.e., the securities of companies incorporated in the People's Republic of China (&#8220;PRC&#8221;) that are denominated in Hong Kong dollars and listed on the Hong Kong Exchange) and B-Shares (i.e., securities of companies incorporated in the PRC and listed for foreign investment on stock exchanges in the PRC) markets. The Underlying Index also includes certain Hong Kong listed securities known as Red-Chips (issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by entities owned by the national government or local governments in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC) and P-Chips (issued by companies incorporated in certain foreign jurisdictions, which are controlled, directly or indirectly, by individuals in the PRC and derive substantial revenues or allocate substantial assets in the PRC). As of June 30, 2012, approximately 53.39% of the Underlying Index was invested in H-Shares, 28.07% in Red-Chips, 17.48% in P-Chips and 1.07% in B-Shares. Components primarily include energy, financial and telecommunications companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time.<br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.<br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.<br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.<br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index.<br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received).<br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;).<br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /> <b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /> <b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /> <b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /> <b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /> <b>Energy Sector Risk.</b> The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, without limitation, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts and potential civil liabilities. <br /><br /> <b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /> <b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. Chinese financial sector regulation and ownership may be more intrusive than in the United States and other developed countries, especially with respect to the regulation of non-Chinese banks and other non-Chinese financial companies. Greater Chinese governmental involvement in the financial sector may pose additional risks for investors. Market conditions in China may be particularly subject to change based on government policy. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /> <b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /> <b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /> <b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /> <b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /> <b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /> <b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /> <b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /> <b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments that track the value of Chinese issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in China, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Chinese issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /> <b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /> <b>Privatization Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests has privatized, or has begun a process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized. <br /><br /> <b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>, <b>European Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /> <b>Risk of Investing in China.</b> The Fund's investment exposure to China subjects the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. China is a developing market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the past 25 years, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and expansion of the sphere for private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability. Internal social unrest or confrontations with other neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China's rapid economic growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers, or a downturn in any of the economies of China's key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy. <br /><br /> <b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in China may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /> <b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /> <b>Security Risk.</b> China has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving China's security may cause uncertainty in Chinese markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /> <b>Telecommunications Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the telecommunications sector may be affected by industry competition, substantial capital requirements, government regulation and obsolescence of telecommunications products and services due to technological advancement. <br /><br /> <b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. <br /><br /> <b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance information to report.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.62<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIIrelandCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>
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As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance information to report.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI POLAND CAPPED ETF<br/>Ticker: EPOL&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca<b>Investment Objective</b>The iShares MSCI Poland Capped ETF (the &#8220;Fund&#8221;) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI Poland IMI 25/50 Index (the &#8220;Underlying Index&#8221;).<b>Fees and Expenses</b>The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you own shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the &#8220;Trust&#8221;) and BlackRock Fund Advisors (&#8220;BFA&#8221;) (the &#8220; Investment Advisory Agreement&#8221;) provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except interest expenses, taxes, brokerage expenses, future distribution fees or expenses, and extraordinary expenses.<br/><br/>You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:<b>Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br/>(ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br/>percentage of the value of your investments)</b><b>Example.</b>This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:62195340762<b>Portfolio Turnover.</b>The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or &#8220;turns over&#8221; its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.<b>Principal Investment Strategies</b>The Underlying Index is an index designed to measure the performance of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in Poland. The Underlying Index is a free-float adjusted market capitalization weighted index with a capping methodology applied to issuer weights so that no single issuer of a component exceeds 25% of the Underlying Index weight and all issuers with weight above 5% do not exceed 50% of the Underlying Index weight. Components primarily include energy, financial and materials companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Summary of Principal Risks</b>As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /><b>Energy Sector Risk.</b> The value of securities issued by companies in the energy sector may decline for many reasons, including, without limitation, changes in energy prices, government regulations, energy conservation efforts and potential civil liabilities. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Materials Sector Risk.</b> Companies in the materials sector may be adversely impacted by the volatility of commodity prices, exchange rates, depletion of resources, over-production, litigation and government regulations, among other factors. <br /><br /><b>Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting a Polish issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Eastern European Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Privatization Risk.</b> Poland has privatized, or has begun a process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>European Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Poland.</b> Investments in Polish issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency and economic risk specific to Poland. Among other things, Poland&#8217;s economy is still relatively undeveloped and is heavily dependent on relationships with certain key trading partners, including Germany and other European Union (&#8220;the EU&#8221;) countries. As a result, Poland&#8217;s continued growth is dependent on the growth of these economies. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Securities Market Risk.</b> Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. <br /><br /><b>Security Risk.</b> The geographic area in which the Fund invests has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in Polish markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /><b>Small-Capitalization Companies Risk.</b> Compared to mid- and large-capitalization companies, small-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments, and their securities may be more volatile and less liquid. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Performance Information</b>The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.<b>Year by Year Returns (Years Ended December 31)</b>The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 7.11% in the 1st quarter of 2011; the worst was -34.04% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.<br/><br/>Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).www.iShares.com1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30best2011-03-31worst2011-09-30<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b>2010-05-25On February 12, 2013, the Fund's Underlying Index changed from the MSCI Poland Investable Market Index to the current Underlying Index, the MSCI Poland IMI 25/50 Index. Since the inception date of the MSCI Poland IMI 25/50 Index is November 21, 2012, which occurred outside of the periods covered in the table above, index returns for the MSCI Poland IMI 25/50 Index are not shown.After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIPolandCappedETF column period compact * ~</div>
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You may also incur usual and customary brokerage commissions when buying or selling shares of the Fund, which are not reflected in the example that follows:This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund&#8217;s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:The Underlying Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of equity securities listed on stock exchanges in Indonesia. Components primarily include consumer discretionary, consumer staples and financial companies. The components of the Underlying Index, and the degree to which these components represent certain industries, may change over time. <br /><br />BFA uses a &#8220;passive&#8221; or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund&#8217;s investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to &#8220;beat&#8221; the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued. <br /><br />Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by keeping portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies. <br /><br />BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. &#8220;Representative sampling&#8221; is an indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Underlying Index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Underlying Index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund will at all times invest at least 90% of its assets in the securities of the Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund may invest the remainder of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. <br /><br />The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). <br /><br />The Underlying Index is sponsored by an organization (the &#8220;Index Provider&#8221;) that is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index. The Fund&#8217;s Index Provider is MSCI Inc. (&#8220;MSCI&#8221;). <br /><br /><b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.<b>Industry Concentration Policy.</b> The Fund will concentrate its investments (i.e., hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries, which may include large-, mid- or small-capitalization companies, to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share (&#8220;NAV&#8221;), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. <br /><br /><b>Asset Class Risk.</b> Securities in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general securities markets or other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Concentration Risk.</b> To the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in a particular issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class, the Fund may be susceptible to loss due to adverse occurrences affecting that issuer, region, country, market, industry or asset class. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk.</b> The consumer discretionary sector may be affected by changes in domestic and international economies, exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and consumer preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns. <br /><br /><b>Consumer Staples Sector Risk.</b> The consumer staples sector may be affected by marketing campaigns, changes in consumer demands, government regulations and changes in commodity prices. <br /><br /><b>Currency Risk.</b> Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar. <br /><br /><b>Custody Risk.</b> Less developed markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades and the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. <br /><br /><b>Equity Securities Risk.</b> Equity securities are subject to changes in value and their values may be more volatile than other asset classes. <br /><br /><b>Financial Sector Risk.</b> Performance of companies in the financial sector may be adversely impacted by many factors, including, among others, government regulations, economic conditions, credit rating downgrades, changes in interest rates, and decreased liquidity in credit markets. This sector has experienced significant losses in the recent past, and the impact of more stringent capital requirements and of recent or future regulation on any individual financial company or on the sector as a whole cannot be predicted. <br /><br /><b>Geographic Risk.</b> A natural or other disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could affect the economy or particular business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in the affected region. <br /><br /><b>Index-Related Risk.</b> There is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve a high degree of correlation to the Underlying Index and therefore achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund&#8217;s ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected for a period of time, and may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its Shareholders. <br /><br /><b>Issuer Risk.</b> Fund performance depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline. <br /><br /><b>Management Risk.</b> As the Fund may not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment management strategy may not produce the intended results. <br /><br /><b>Market Risk.</b> The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during market downturns. <br /><br /><b>Market Trading Risk.</b> The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV. <br /><br /><b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers. <br /><br /><b>Non-U.S. Securities Risk.</b> Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting an Indonesian issuer or market. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Passive Investment Risk.</b> The Fund is not actively managed and BFA does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets. <br /><br /><b>Reliance on Trading Partners Risk.</b> The Fund invests in a country whose economy is heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. The Fund is specifically exposed to <b>Asian Economic Risk</b> and <b>U.S. Economic Risk</b>. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets.</b> The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation risk, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities. <br /><br /><b>Risk of Investing in Indonesia.</b> Investments in Indonesian issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security and economic risk specific to Indonesia. Among other things, the Indonesian economy is heavily dependent on trading relationships with certain key trading partners, including China, Japan, Singapore and the United States. <br /><br /><b>Securities Lending Risk.</b> The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the Fund's loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. <br /><br /><b>Securities Market Risk.</b> Local securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to increases in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. <br /><br /><b>Security Risk.</b> The geographic area in which the Fund invests has experienced security concerns. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in Indonesian markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments. <br /><br /><b>Structural Risk.</b> The country in which the Fund invests may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. <br /><br /><b>Tracking Error Risk.</b> Tracking error is the divergence of the Fund&#8217;s performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities held in the Fund&#8217;s portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs, the Fund&#8217;s holding of cash, differences in timing of the accrual of dividends, changes to the Underlying Index or the need to meet various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. BFA EXPECTS THAT THE FUND MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN IS TYPICAL FOR SIMILAR INDEX EXCHANGE-TRADED FUNDS. <br /><br /><b>Valuation Risk.</b> The sale price the Fund could receive for a security may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security&#8201;and may differ from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology. In addition, the value of the securities in the Fund's portfolio may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares.As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments.<b>Non-Diversification Risk.</b> The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.<b>Performance Information</b>The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Both assume that all dividends and distributions have been reinvested in the Fund. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future. Supplemental information about the Fund&#8217;s performance is shown under the heading Total Return Information in the Supplemental Information section of the Fund's prospectus (the &#8220;Prospectus&#8221;).The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.<b>Year by Year Returns (Year Ended December 31)</b>The best calendar quarter return during the period shown above was 6.47% in the 2nd quarter of 2011; the worst was -11.78% in the 3rd quarter of 2011.<br/><br/>Updated performance information is available at www.iShares.com or by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free).The Fund&#8217;s total return for the nine months ended2012-09-30best2011-06-30worst2011-09-301-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) (toll free)www.iShares.com<b>Average Annual Total Returns<br/>(for the periods ended December 31, 2011)</b>2010-05-05After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes.Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor&#8217;s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (&#8220;IRAs&#8221;).Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.iSHARES<sup>&#174</sup> MSCI INDONESIA ETF<br/>Ticker: EIDO&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Stock Exchange: NYSE Arca<div style="display:none">~ http://www.iShares.com/role/ScheduleAnnualFundOperatingExpensesTransposediSharesMSCIIndonesiaETF column period compact * ~</div>
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0.10.0059000.00590.0059000.00590.10.0059000.00590.090.0059000.00590.180.10.16040.2724-0.14930.6-0.21110.0061000.0061-0.2111-0.2156-0.1343-0.20520.2260.18360.20840.21390.00740.00740.00590000000.00740.00740.00590.0061000.0061-0.3762-0.3762-0.3799-0.2429-0.383-0.267-0.2707-0.2265-0.2730.01880.031-0.32440.330.040.0059000.00590.00680.0053000000.00530.0068-0.00190.00490.110.670.00610.007400000.00610.00740.006500.00020.00610.0067000.00610.0053000.00530.21350.052-0.2788-0.2414-0.2414-0.2464-0.1554-0.2409-0.0801-0.0712-0.0871-0.08160.040.0061000.00610.250.060.0053000.00530.30750.0649-0.0784-0.0328-0.0328-0.0285-0.0135-0.0289-0.0294-0.0257-0.02-0.033-0.03990.1880.120.070.0913-0.2130.00530.0053000.018200.005300.120.00530.24050.1024-0.08430.01820.01160.02740.01120.1360.12710.11770.1436-0.0399-0.043-0.022-0.0369-0.0772-0.0815-0.0659-0.07370.210.080.0061000.00610.0061000.00610.15-0.3130.23150.0711-0.3404-0.313-0.315-0.192-0.3117-0.0126-0.0142-0.005-0.01440.120.030.080.03190.03290.0647-0.11780.03190.0340.02720.04310.15450.15620.13580.1629The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 16.04%. After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts ("IRAs"). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 1.88%.The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 21.35%. The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 30.75%.After-tax returns in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual U.S. federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state or local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns shown are not relevant to tax-exempt investors or investors who hold shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts ("IRAs"). Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares are calculated assuming that an investor has sufficient capital gains of the same character from other investments to offset any capital losses from the sale of Fund shares. As a result, Fund returns after taxes on distributions and sales of Fund shares may exceed Fund returns before taxes and/or returns after taxes on distributions.On February 12, 2013, the Fund's Underlying Index changed from the MSCI New Zealand Investable Market Index to the current Underlying Index, the MSCI New Zealand IMI 25/50 Index. Since the inception date of the MSCI New Zealand IMI 25/50 Index is November 21, 2012, which occurred outside of the periods covered in the table above, index returns for the MSCI New Zealand IMI 25/50 Index are not shown.The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 24.05%.The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 18.80%. The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 23.15%.On February 12, 2013, the Fund's Underlying Index changed from the MSCI Poland Investable Market Index to the current Underlying Index, the MSCI Poland IMI 25/50 Index. Since the inception date of the MSCI Poland IMI 25/50 Index is November 21, 2012, which occurred outside of the periods covered in the table above, index returns for the MSCI Poland IMI 25/50 Index are not shown.The Fund's total return for the nine months ended September 30, 2012 was 3.29%.EX-101.SCH
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ist1-20130701_cal.xml
XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION CALCULATION LINKBASE
EX-101.DEF
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ist1-20130701_def.xml
XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION DEFINITION LINKBASE